“Ukraine may be East Asia Tomorrow”: Russia, Japan, and the End of a “Pivot” to the East

Abstract This paper charts the dynamics of Russo-Japanese relations over the last two decades. It covers the lost opportunities to resolve a long-standing territorial dispute over the Southern Kurils/Northern Territories, the fruitless efforts of Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to form a qualitatively new relationship with Russia, and the consequences of the invasion of Ukraine for Russo-Japan relations and its wider implications on Russia’s “pivot” to Asia.